For NBA Tuesday this week, we take a peek at the Orlando Magic, one of the late 1980s expansion teams that helped bring professional basketball closer to equality with the 3 other major sports of the time period, in terms of broad appeal in more cities. They’ve never won a title, and with only 2 playoff appearances in the last 11 years, it’s been a little lean in central Florida for awhile. But the team should make it this year …

No. 10: Hedo Türkoğlu, SF—39.6 WS (2004-2009, 2010-2013)

Despite being the 16th overall pick in the 2000 Draft by the Sacramento Kings, he never made an All-Star team in his career. During his two different stints with Orlando, however, he did help the Magic to a 2009 NBA Finals appearance. In 497 regular-season games with the franchise, he posted 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 3.9 apg. Over 49 playoff games (all starts), he added 14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 4.5 apg. He was consistently solid.

No. 9: Darrell Armstrong, PG—40.2 WS (1994-2003)

Probably remembered fondly only by some original Magic fans, he 502 regular-season games for Orlando, starting 291 of them at point. Undrafted and 26 years old, he joined the team after playing in lower-level pro leagues for 3 seasons after college. His stats—11.7 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.3 rpg, and 1.7 spg—don’t tell his whole story, however, as he won both the Most Improved and Sixth Man votes during for 1998-1999 season.

No. 8: Horace Grant, PF/C—42.2 WS (1994-1999, 2001-2003)

Better known for his time elsewhere, he still was a key cog in the Magic’s 1995 NBA Finals run. Never an All Star while in Orlando, he nonetheless put up 11.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.0 spg, and 1.0 bpg in 411 regular-season games with the franchise while contributing 12.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg in 38 postseason contests with the team, as well. Four times he posted at least 3.0 Defensive Win Shares during his Magic tenure, adding to many wins.

No. 7: Jameer Nelson, PG—43.0 WS (2004-2014)

As the No. 20 overall pick by Denver, he soon was dealt to the Magic and spent 10 seasons in Orlando—making the 2009 All-Star team. Over 651 regular-season games, he averaged 12.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.1 rpg, and 1.0 spg. In 44 playoff matchups, he added 15.0 ppg, 4.6 apg, and 3.5 rpg. Oddly, those were his only postseason appearances even though he played for 5 other teams after leaving the Magic. What bad luck!

No. 6: Penny Hardaway, PG/SG—46.3 WS (1993-1999)

He spent only 6 seasons with the franchise, but he was a game-changing player before injuries derailed his career. The No. 3 overall pick, he made 4 straight All-Star teams (1995-1998), peaking in 1996 with 14.4 WS. Over 369 regular-season games with the Magic, he registered 19.0 ppg, 6.3 apg, 4.7 rpg, and 1.9 spg—and in 45 postseason contests, he tossed in 21.8 ppg, 6.5 apg, 4.6 rpg, and 1.9 spg. He really did do everything well.

No. 5: Tracy McGrady, SF—48.2 WS (2000-2004)

The No. 9 pick in the draft once, he came to Orlando in his fourth season and exploded into an All-Star player for all 4 seasons with the Magic—leading the NBA in scoring twice (2003, 2004). We picked him as our league MVP in 2003, as well. He played 295 regular-season games (28.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1.0 bpg) but just 15 playoff games (32.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1.2 bpg) with the organization. Dang.

No. 4: Shaquille O’Neal, C—48.3 WS (1992-1996)

The top pick in the draft, he won the 1993 ROTY vote and spent 4 memorable seasons in Orlando—all of them All-Star years—before leaving for greener pastures elsewhere. He topped the league in scoring once (1995) as he posted 27.2 ppg, 12.5 rpg, and 2.8 bpg in 295 regular-season contests and 25.3 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, and 1.8 bpg in 36 playoff games. The sting of losing the 1995 NBA Finals hurt, though, and that was it.

No. 3: Nikola Vučević, C—50.1 WS (2012-2021)

The No. 16 overall draft pick, he made 2 All-Star teams while with the Magic after being traded by the Philadelphia 76ers before his second NBA season. His overall numbers with Orlando (17.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg, and 2.8 apg) are pretty good, of course, over 591 games while his postseason stats (19.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 3.5 apg) didn’t carry much impact over only 10 total playoff contests. Odd how 3 players in the Top 4 here are centers.

No. 2: Nick Anderson, SG/SF—52.9 WS (1989-1999)

His enduring legacy, sadly, will always be the 4 missed free throws that cost the Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals; it’s hard to forget those failures, despite his statistics: 15.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 1.5 spg over 692 regular-season games. Maybe a disappointment as the No. 11 overall pick, since he never made an All-Star team. Everyone just can’t help wonder if he’d made those free throws whether Orlando would have won it all.

No. 1: Dwight Howard, PF/C—87.5 WS (2004-2012)

The No. 1 overall pick out of high school, he did not disappoint: our pick for 2005 ROTY and 6 straight All-Star nods, too (2007-2012). He topped the league in rebounding 4 times (2008-2010, 2012), too, while also being the top shotblocker twice (2009-2010). We named him the DPOY twice (2007, 2011), and he won that vote thrice as well (2009-2011). It’s hard to find fault with his career here, even with the flaws in his game.